Lake City .308

This is a discussion on Lake City .308 within the Ammunition forums, part of the M14 M1A Forum category; Just got 500 rounds of LC .308 from Sportsman's guide
Looks pretty grungy-- not corroded but old and tarnished.
If the monsoon doesn't het this ...

Just got 500 rounds of LC .308 from Sportsman's guide
Looks pretty grungy-- not corroded but old and tarnished.
If the monsoon doesn't het this weekend, I'm going to the range with some and see how it works

Well.....Have you had a chance to shoot this ammo.
I was thinking about purchasing some.
I think this is the stuff advertised as "For Training Purposes Only"
Any thoughts?
Is this stuff gov't reject? Why? Maybe because the storage conditions caused the tarnished cases? Primers not sealed???

It is Overrun ammo, from Federal. They market it as 'X' and the USGI Ball equivalent designation, ie XM193, XM855, XM80, etc.

I read some time ago that the ammo didn't quite make spec. For example, LC XM193 5.56mm Ammo didn't have the waterproof Sealant around the Primer. The ammo is still Military Ball ammo with the correct powder and pressure, it's just missing a component that wouldn't pass it on inspection.

It shoots as it would shoot out of a GI ammo can from a Base Magazine.

Federal uses the 'X' designation so it can be sold to you and I. Otherwise, it would have to be destroyed through Gov't channels. A furnace.

Haven't heard any specific missing component for the XM855, or the XM80. It may very well be completely in Spec. My guess is that is why they place "For Training Purposes Only" on the box. Also they come packed loose.
The XM193 was Boxed, 20rds Ea.

Just a warning about this ammo, there are serval people that have had case ruptures with it. It seems to be limited to those with the 2001 headstamps. I had about thirty in my 1st 500 round box and of the thirty, six of them ruptured.

I read in the Kansas City Business Journal (KC is right next door to the LC ammo plant) that even though ammo is running short to our troops in Iraq, this "surplus" ammo is available because it was pulled off the production line and "dunked" for water proof testing. After ammo has been immersed for awhile, it is allowed to dry and then samples are shot to make sure ammo is indeed waterproof and will function. If ammo passes and it goes bang, those rounds that were dunked, but not shot up during the test, are boxed up and sold to the public as XM80PD, XM855PD and XM193PD, (for training purposes only). The rest of that lot that HASN'T been soaked, is packaged and sent to the Amy for their combat use.

This would explain why the LC cases look a little tarnished.

I understand this current ammo, (the stuff that has been soaked), is better than the stuff last year, where a few of the rounds were dented, tips seated too deep, a few with primer problems, etc.

The way you can tell the difference, the early stuff had white labels pasted on the boxes that said XM80PD and the barcode was also a white label stuck to the outside of the box. More current rounds, the ones with less problems, have the barcodes PRINTED on the box, and the XM80PD or the XM855PD is printed on the box as well......no white labels.